(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information-bearing sheet suitable for use with an X-ray film in order to apply the information, especially, an identification mark to the X-ray film upon taking an X-ray picture.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
X-ray photography has found wide-spread utility in a variety of fields such as engineering, medicine, dentistry, etc. When taking a dental X-ray picture for example, an X-ray film is provided in an envelope which permits transmission of X-rays therethrough but does not permit transmission of light therethrough. After taking an X-ray picture of a tooth, teeth or a dentition on the X-ray film while still holding the X-ray film within the envelope, a developer and a fixer are successively injected into the envelope so as to subject the thus-exposed X-ray film to developing and fixing treatments. The thus-treated X-ray film is taken out of the envelope to obtain an X-ray picture of the tooth, teeth or dentition, which is then used for diagnosis. In such X-ray photography, it is essential to make the thus-taken X-ray film correspond exactly to the particular patient. For this purpose, it is commonly practiced to take the picture of a mark, which is adapted to identify each patient, on his X-ray film upon taking his dental X-ray picture.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an pack of X-ray film. In the drawing, numeral 1 indicates the pack of X-ray film. Designated at numeral 2 is an envelope which is made of such an opaque material that permits transmission of X-ray therethrough but shuts out light. Numeral 3 indicates an X-ray film enclosed hermetically in the envelope 2. The drawing also shows a mark-bearing portion 4 adhered on the envelope 2 at a suitable location (for example, in one of its corners) and a mark 5 (the numeral "1" is shown by way of example) printed on the mark-bearing portion 4. The mark 5 has been printed on the mark-bearing portion 4, for example, with a lead-containing ink.
Prior to taking the X-ray picture, a mark which is the same as the mark 5 adhered on the X-ray film pack and the name of the patient are beforehand written in a dental chart or the like. Subsequent to the above-described preparation, an X-ray picture may be taken in such a manner as will be described next. First of all, the X-ray film pack 1 is inserted between the tongue of the patient and the dentition containing a target tooth with the side having the mark-bearing portion 4 adhered thereon being directed toward the target tooth and is then brought, from the tongue side of the patient, into contact with the target tooth. X-rays is thereafter irradiated to the target tooth from the side opposite to the X-ray film pack 1. After completion of the irradiation of X-ray, the thus-exposed X-ray film pack 1 is taken out of his mouth and a developer and a fixer are successively injected by means of a syringe or the like into the X-ray film pack 1. After completion of its developing and fixing, the envelope 2 is opened to take out the X-ray film 3 from the envelope 2. An X-ray picture similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2, which is a plan view of an exposed X-ray film, is obtained on the thus taken-out X-ray film 3 in the above-described manner.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there are shown the X-ray film 3, an X-ray picture 6 of teeth and an X-ray picture 5' of the mark 5 depicted in FIG. 1. Since the X-ray picture 5' of the specific mark is obtained on the exposed X-ray film 3 in the above manner, it is possible to identify the patient of the X-ray film 3 without failure. The X-ray picture 5' may hereinafter be referred to as "the mark 5'" for the sake of brevity.
By the way, the thus-exposed X-ray film must be stored in a certain way because it will be used for subsequent treatment, diagnosis and/or the like. If it is stored or filed as is, it is impossible to identify the patient of the X-ray film because it bears the X-ray picture 5' of the mark "1" only. When storing or filing such an X-ray film, it must be necessary to make it possible to know the name of the patient of the X-ray film by some means. For this purpose, it has conventionally been practiced to place the X-ray film in a bag or the like and then to write the patient's name corresponding to the mark 5' on the X-ray film with reference to the corresponding dental chart which was filled out prior to taking the X-ray picture.
The above-described method is however extremely irksome, because a mark must be written in a dental chart and another mark, which is the same as the first-mentioned mark, and its corresponding patient's name must also be written on a bag adapted to store or file the X-ray film. Moreover, the above-mentioned method is also accompanied by a danger that when writing the patient's name on the storing or filing bag of the X-ray film, another patient's name may be erroneously written there unless special care is exercised. This type of problem is not limited to dental X-ray photography but is a problem liable to occur routinely in other X-ray photography such as medical and industrial X-ray photography.